Smoke seen billowing from Russian consulate in San Francisco as staff 'burn unidentified items' before leaving

'They were burning something in their fireplace'

Black smoke billows from a chimney on top of the Russian consulate on September 1, 2017 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Smoke was seen issuing from the Russian consulate in San Francisco on Friday, days after the State Department ordered the diplomatic facility closed.

A fire department spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. The department's public information account said on Twitter that Russian embassy “had a fire alarm NOT A FIRE. Everything is ok and we are clearing”.

After sending a crew to investigate the fire department determined that people in the building were using the fireplace, San Francisco Fire Department spokeswoman Mindy Talamadge told the Associated Press.

“It was not unintentional. They were burning something in their fireplace,” she said.

The AP reported hearing someone from inside the building say consular staff were burning unidentified items in a fireplace.

The smoke pouring into the air mingled with an already-stifling climate in San Francisco, where temperatures climbed into the triple digits and broke records. A state air regulator said it had dispatched personnel to the embassy but found no violations.

The consulate was one of three Russian diplomatic outposts ordered closed by the State Department earlier this week in response to Russia ordering the expulsion of American diplomatic personnel, a move that followed America imposing a fresh round of sanctions intended to punish Russia for interfering in the 2016 election.

A spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that American authorities planned to conduct a search of the building.

The State Department declined comment on either the fire or the Russian foreign ministry's statement, saying people would be barred access to the consulate without State Department permission starting on Saturday.